Overview
Manual tasks let you create your own to-dos inside AwardSpring's Task Board — for scholarship work, donor follow-ups, or any other action item that isn't automatically generated by the system.
Every task you create can be assigned to a specific Owner and given a Visibility setting, turning the Task Board into a shared workspace your whole admin team can rely on.
How to Create a Manual Task
In AwardSpring, navigate to Task Board from the main navigation > Click Create Task.
Fill in the required fields:
- Title — A brief description of the work (e.g., "Review eligibility waiver for Smith Scholarship")
- Type — The kind of work this is (To-do, Phone Call, Email, Meeting, Review, Document)
- Status — Where the task currently stands (Pending, In Progress, Complete, etc.)
- Priority — Low, Medium, or High
Set the Owner — who is responsible for completing this task:
- Choose All Admins, a Department, or a specific admin
- Assigning to a Department means every admin in that Department shares ownership and sees the task in their My Tasks tab
Set the Visibility — who can see this task exists:
- Visibility can be set independently from ownership
- The task creator and all owners always retain visibility, regardless of this setting
- Optionally fill in:
- Notes — Use this to capture what "done" looks like, relevant context, or links
- Due Date — Tasks with a due date appear in the Overdue tab when past due
- Click Save.
Your task will now appear in the Task Board — and in the My Tasks tab of whoever is set as Owner.
Editing an Existing Task
- On the Task Board, click any task row.
- A slideout panel opens with all task fields editable.
- Update fields as needed — including Owner, Visibility, Status, Priority, Notes, or Due Date.
- Click Save.
Task Fields Reference
| Field | Required? | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Title | Yes | Short description of the work |
| Type | Yes | Category: To-do, Phone Call, Email, Meeting, Review, Document |
| Status | Yes | Current state of the task |
| Priority | Yes | Low, Medium, or High |
| Owner | Yes | Who is responsible — a specific admin, a Department, or All Admins |
| Visibility | Yes | Who can see this task exists |
| Notes | No | Free-text context or instructions |
| Due Date | No | Enables overdue tracking |
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between Owner and Visibility?
Owner determines who is responsible for the task — it appears in their My Tasks tab. Visibility determines who can see the task exists. A task owned by one person can be visible to a broader group, and vice versa.
Can a Department own a task?
Yes. When you assign a Department as the Owner, every admin in that Department becomes an effective co-owner. The task appears in all of their My Tasks tabs simultaneously.
Can I create a task without a due date?
Yes — due date is optional. Tasks without a due date won't appear in the Overdue tab regardless of how long they've been open.
Can I change the Owner after creating a task?
Yes. Open the task from the Task Board, update the Owner field in the edit slideout, and save.
Who can see a task if I set Visibility to a narrow group?
The task creator and all owners always retain visibility, even if the Visibility setting is narrower. The system prevents you from assigning a task to someone who can't see it.